Eradication
by Demigod-Black-Fire
Summary: It equates to weakness, really. And weakness must be destroyed, no matter what the cost.
1. Larceny for dummies

A/N: It's me again, actually posting someting longer than the author's note this time. Spooky...Anyway, while this is not my first story ever, it is the first one I'm posting and the first G&E one I've written so ALL REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED! Ever if it's just to bug me for misspelling a word. Most of the grammer mistakes are intentional, so be forewarned if you are the President of Grammer, and humorous misuse burns you with a searing, itchy pain. Also, I write short chapters, but bear with me; I will post every chance I get and as my fickle...I mean, WONDERFUL! Yeah, wonderful...muse allows. (Can't be too careful...)

Disclaimer: Of course, the pressssscious G&E belongses to the masterses, CN and good ole Maxie Atoms and Co., but in a way, it also belongs to us fans. After all, we helped created it. Pat yourself on the back if you voted!

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Mandy ran a hand through her blonde hair, trying to quell her anger to the point where the air around her wasn't on the verge of combustion from pent-up rage. Taking a singular deep breath, she regained her perfect composure.

"Okay. Let's try this again," she said, pointing to Billy, who stood before her in his kitchen with a typical vacant stare. "You're the decoy."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Soooooooo...," he said, drawing out the word as he thought of what to say. "What's a decoy?"

_Leman's terms_, she told herself. "You distract Grim. I steal his scythe. Got it?"

"Yeayeayeayeayeayeah!But why do you gots to _steal_ it?Asking is the path of moral rigtheousness...ess...yeah!" The happy rainbows and baby ducks contained in his empty little head were _almost_ visible to the casual passerby.

"What's the fun in that?"

"Why do you want the knifey-stick, anyway?" he pried with a first-grade version of tact.

She rolled her eyes. "To open a can," she replied flatly, knowing full well the sarcasm would be lost on him.

"Okeydoo!" His skipped off to his assignment. She rubbed her temples, feeling the beginning of a headache coming on. Normally, she could have simply written it off as a side-effect of conversing with Billy, but not today. Just...not today. Part of the stew of aggreivation plaguing was the fact that he was right. She probably could've grabbed the weapon from its now-common storage place in the closet, or even asked (read: demanded) Grim for it. It wasn't like she could honestly be refused. Still, it was all part of the plan.

_The ends will justify the means._ Not that she was off one to justify her actions, but what she was about to do required some vindication, at least in her own mind.

Listening deliberately, she heard Billy dragging Grim away from the TV and off to the backyard. Well, at least she could always could on him to be distracting... Breifly, she pictured the reaper following along jerkily, trying to keep his arm in its socket, but she shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. This wasn't the time.

It was easy enough to walk into the now-vacant living room, but she had some doubts. What if he still had it? She'd have to wait for the right oppertunity again...She just wanted to get it over with, once and for all.

Relief washed over her as she opened the closet door, the silver blade of the scthe reflecting the sudden light. She picked it up easily, accustomed to the unweildy hieght and weight from years of playing around. This time, though,it was serious. She walked out the front door.

ooo

If Mandy's mother expressed any concern at the sight of her fourteen-year-old daughter carrying the medievil garden tool up to her room, she gave no sign. Then again, if Mandy's mother had ever voiced any kind of concern for her daughter's sake, she might not have ended up as the person she was, which, depending on who you asked, might have been construed as a good or bad thing.

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A/N 2.0: Don't worry, all your questions will be answered in due time. And yes, for the sake of this fic, Mandy is fourteen. It'll make things fit better later. And I really don't know if Billy has a broom closet in the living room, but he does now! Remodeling, perhaps?

Chapter 2 will be posted sometime soon. R and R, though, if you have any ideas. You can change the outcome of this fic with your mind...

Demi

Random pointless question that occured to me while brushing my teeth: If Billy hates bugs and creepy-crawlies, how come he fell in love with a snail? I defy you to answer me!


	2. Black magic woman

A/N: Me again. Scared yet? Well, there are ways to remedy that...Anyways, I have the next chapter in my weirld lil' saga for your viewing pleasure. I do have most of it planned out in my head, but there is some room for leeway. The next three and a half chapters are already written, but need to be typed, and I am a slooooooow typist.

Thanks to Jess, my only reviewer thus far. The cliff-hangerness may continue for a bit, but all will be revealed in due time. By the way, I have two friends named Jess, who are wonderful people.

Mmm...yeah...Here it is.

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Mandy sat on the edge of her bed, holding the scythe. This was actually a more invloved activity than it seemed at first glance. The weapon was operated through touch and sheer force of will. It was like an open book in her hands, instant access to most of the supernatural on demand, but death magic was its specialty. Like a Swiss army knife, it was handy enough in most situations, but had too many uses to be truly effective at all of them. She could only hope that it had enough power to do what was nessacary.

Concentration and a certain knack for tuning in on the supernatural were basically all that were needed to operate the scythe, traits she happened to possess in excess. Focusing her intent, she raised the heavy weapon and aimed it directly at herself.

A kinetic beam of bluish-purple energy shot forth from the blade, surrounding her in a glowing nimbus. The charge did not immediatly dissipate after leaving the weapon, but intensified, actually levitating her several inches. the sensation was similar to humming into a waxed-paper-covered comb. Not exactly painful, but intensly tingly and uncomfortable. Gringing her teeth, she held firm and after about thirty seconds, the charge suddenly dissipated, dropping her, half-drained, to the pink carpet.

ooo

Her mother heard nothing over the sound of the television, but the black-clad figure stalking his way angrily up the front path lifted his head at the sound of the crash and clatter.

ooo

Mandy pushed herself into a sitting position, nusing a splitting headache. _Note to self: Keep asprin on hand after using black magic on self._ She leaned against the bed, trying to collect her thoughts.

_Did it work?_ The question dominated her mind. She couldn't tell. Not yet, at least. It might just be wishful thinking, but she felt changed. She barely had a minute to collect herself before she heard the tap at her door.

ooo

"Mandy?" Grim questioned the closed door. "Are ya in dere, girl?" The reaper crossed his arms in annoyance. Blasted kids, always getting into his things...No good could come of it. Six years now, and he'd finally thought at least she was starting to get past such foolishness. Obviously not.

The bedroom door swung open and she stood, glaring as usual, in its frame, making no attempt to hide the weapon that still rested in her grip.

"So ya did steal m'scythe!" he accused immediately.

"Yep," she concured dryly, tossing it to him. He caught it easily, a bit taken aback, but covering it with an impatient "Why?"

"I wanted to see if I could animate some of my old dolls and make them attack Billy," she said smoothly. Effective lying was all about maintaning your baseline behavor.

"And da crash?"

"I dropped something." Mentally, she winced. That was _lame_. But it was almost the truth.

"So did it work?" he asked, referencing Mandy's cover story. Seeing Billy mauled would make an interesting afternoon, at least.

She shrugged noncommitantly and shut the door in his face.

Grim narrowed his eye sockets suspiciously, but said nothing else, merely walking away.

ooo

Mandy leaned against the closed door and sank to the floor, holding her head in her hands as she listened to the familiar creak of the stairs. No, it hadn't worked.

It hadn't worked at _all_.

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A/N: Another chapter! this took longer than expected, but kept acting funny. I hope I wrote Grim IC for this. It was hard to put the accent into words, R and R and stuff.

Demi


	3. Contemplations

A/N: What? You want more? Weeeeeelllllllllll...okay, but only because I have way too much time on my hands and my muse has been gracious enough to hurl ideas at me for this epic I'm writing.

Jess: Thank you for reviewing again. I rather liked your guesses because they were...quite wacky, and I found one of them to be most marvelously ironic for what's going to happen in a few chapters. You will get bonus points if you guess it right. Here's a hint that doesn't make much sense: It's ironic because it's nearly the opposite of what's going on. My evil tradition of cliffhangering you will continue for the next 2 chapters, then the PLOT TWIST WILL BE REVEALED! Tune in, mortals, for it may melt your mind (or cause you to flame me).

Line person: I honestly couldn't think of her being any other way, and when the idea first hit me, I was thinking inchibi. But hopefully, I'll do a better job in the rest of it.

anime-raven: It's all part of my sinister plan...Muhahahahahah! But as I said before, the exposition is coming...but I do solove being confusing right now. Sadly, yes, the chapters must be short, unless you would rather wait two weeks for each chaper. I can only type this is computer lab. Thanks for putting this on your Favs list!

Now, applaude for this border! It means I will stop ranting and tell the story!

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Grim stormed back to Billy's house, muttering to himself. Most of the display was reactionary, though. Six years was enough to get used to almost anything, and he would actually start to get suspicious if the kids didn't play tricks or mess around with magical objects.

Still, despite that, to have Mandy steal the scythe, then give it back almost immediately, and lie about what she was using it for bothered him more than usual. It didn't have the aftertrace of animation spells, and whatever other residual vibes were handing aroung the enchanted weapon were already too faded to recognise.

Although death magic was a way of life for him (figuratively speaking), he didn't really want Mandy involved in it. Besides the fact that she didn't really need and more power, there were other prices to pay for becoming too deeply involved in necromancy.

In a sort of twisted way, he was actually a little worried about Mandy. She'd been acting strangely as of late. Probably hormones of some other conveniant teenage excuse, but still...

He realized that his little anger trip had all but dissapated out of concern for the audacious little brat who had made his life miserable for the last six years, a fact thatcaused hisannoyance levels to raise again to the point where he almost ripped Billy's front door off its hinges whe he opened it. All was right again with the world.

Sort of.

ooo

Mandy lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. The room was dark. Hours had passed and she simply hadn't bothered to turn on the light when there ceased to be adequete natural illumination. The streetlights outside provided a pale, hazy aura, leaving a reverse ghost of a window on the opposite wall, like a photo negative.

It hadn't worked. There wasn't much more to say. She had planned it out and all had fallen into place except for the fact that the spell had failed. She had failed.

Looking back, it made perfect sense. She should have known better than to try to use death magic to eradicate one of the few things dying didn't change.

Still, it wasn't like she had an abundance of resources at hand. All the spells and artifacts she could get to were black magic.

She scowledat the darkness. What was she supposed to do _now_? Just "live with it" like any other nomal human being? Yeah, right...

She had borne it too long already, hidden something that, for all her valued dicipline and self-control, she _could not change_.

She needed something else...Maybe not something, but some_one_ else. Someone with the right powers. But how? And where? The same issue as before came up. Having access to the power of the Underworld didn't put her in any less of a bind.

What she needed was something a bit more in the other direction, but again, _what_? The only gods she knew were a few Norse losers, an annoying and clingy Underworld deity, and the Goddes of Chaos. Not much help there.

Wait...that was it! Eris! Not the goddess herself, but the Queen of Discord did have something she could use: Ties to an enitre pantheon of deities collectively governing every aspect of existance. All she needed to do was persuade the goddess for a favor.

Mandy's scowl lessened slightly as the thought of a way to do just that.

Persuasion can be fun...

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A/N: The next chapter is one of my favorites. Tune in next time for some real fun...

Demi


	4. The joys of Karma

A/N: Wow. I just checked my reviews and found 13 entries, many of them left by people with MUCH better stories than mine! Thanks, you guys...I feel so loved. Here's the next chapter, as quickly as I can type it.

**Jess:** 37,613 points! But, hey, the points don't matter, just like keeping my _seeecret_ now that everyone's calling me out. I still got a few trickseses, but I'm not pulling any punches with Eris, so read on. These are my best jokes, though, so you must be warned that the comedic genes skipped me.

**And FOREVER:** Cool name! Thanks for the compliments!

**aranelisse: **Bonus points, too! I guess I left too many hints...But thanks for the constructive criticism. I really only wrote that chapter so I could write the rest of the story, and at times, I just want to toss the whole thing in the shredder, so I'm quite aware of clunkiness. I'm glad you like it, though.

**Biskuits:** You really think I'm good at dialouge? Wow, I'd put that down as my greatest weakness, especially for Grim, because if I write him without it, it'll sound OOC, but that means I have to say everything out loud to myself in the world's WORST Jamacian accent before I write it. Trust me, you don't want to hear it. Don't worry, I will **not** get bored with this story. All these wonderful reviews seem to make my muse work overtime.

**anime-raven:** I really didn't mean to snap at you, but I actually work better in small chunks, and I don't think I'd get the right effect if I posted long chapters. Hey, thanks for saying something, though.

**Finn Mac Cool:** Heh...not exactly...But that's an...ahem...interesting way of veiwing things...Thanks for the comment about getting into Mandy's head. This wasn't even nessacarily meant to be centric on her, but that's just the way things ended up turning out. I think I just sort of naturally write semi-angst for charactors who are dissatisfied with their situations in life but aren't exactly sure how or what to change, and I also admire Mandy's strength and control, and I just keep writing for her. I'm glad you liked Grim's piece in the last chapter. I always got the impression he had a mild case of Stockholm syndrom, too. (That's what it's called. I only know that from reading Artemis Fowl, though...)

I have to say, I can't recall ever getting as much sadistic joy from torturing a charactor as I did from this chapter. I believe the title, "The joys of Karma," says it all.

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Eris kicked back at one of the cheap plastic food court table at the Endsville Mall, leaning back on two legs of the filmsy chairs in a way that would have just begged retribution from vengeful Murphy and his dreaded law had she been anyone other than the very holder of such exquistie powers of irony.

Idly, she glanced at the headlines of someone else's folded paper before a spilled cup of coffee "happened" to render the print illegible. Natural disasters, crimes, car accidents. Work was such fun...

"Eris." A flat tone called her name emotionlessly.

"Huh?" the goddess articulated gracelessly, casting about for a moment until her gaze settled on the blonde teenager who had seemingly appeared from nowhere in front of her table.

"Oh, it's _you_," Eris said with distain. "What do you want?" She'd had a bit of a running rivalry (at least in her own mind) with Mandy for quite some time now, harboring a major grudge against a prank on the trickser goddess herself. Eris still liked to find any and every oppertunity to exercise her prowess on the girl or her companions.

"I need a...favor," Mandy replied at length.

"A favor?" Eris laughed. "What makes you think I'd do you a favor?" The goddess was nearly in hysterics when the mortal pulled out her _coup-de-grace_ with her usual appereciation for dramatic effect.

"This," she stated simply, holding something out to the goddess, within view but out of reach.

Eriss soberedin mid-laugh when she realized Mandy was holding the Apple of Discord.

"Wha? How did you-" She trailed off, at a loss.

"That's not important right now. I need you to do something for me. Then I _might_ give you your toy back."

"No," Eris whined defiantly, crossing her arms like a spoiled child.

Her chair tipped completely backwards as Murphy's Law operated under the command of its new mistress, dropping Eris on the ground in an unceremonious tangle. Mandy glared down at her victim.

"We can do this the easy way of the hard way, Eris." She paused, again for effect, then continued:

"The hard way's a lot more fun."

ooo

"Fine," the goddess sniffed, clamoring to her feet. "What do you want from me?"

"Passage to Olympus. And back."she clarified.

"Drat...I could've had fun with that...So whom do you wish to see?" Eris asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mandy's tone never wavered as she spoke the name of the deity with the expertise in the area of her problem:

"Aphrodite."

"_Aphrodite?_ The Goddess of _Love_?" Eris asked increduliously, dissolving again into laughter. "Aww...What's the matter? Do you have a cru-"

_CRASH!_

Eris bit her tounge hard as she slipped on a puddle of grape soda that managed to be both sticky and slippery at the same time, despite the fact that she hadn't moved from the perfectly dry spot she had earlier inhabited. The taste of copper and salt filled her mouth and she looked ignominiously up at the teenage who now stood menacingly above her, silently reiterating exactly who was holding the power here.

"Just. Do. It." Mandy's tone was dangerously low, positively seething with barely contained rage. The goddes merely swallowed somewhat nervously and opened a dimensional rift. Arrogant and proud though she may be, even Eris knew better that to toy with the fully ticked girl.

Much.

"There you go," the Goddess of Chaos said with mock sweetness before muttering something incomprihensible under her breath.

"What was that, Eris?" Mandy asked with equally fake innocence as she raised an eyebrow.

"I said...go fall in a _ditch_," Eris covered quickly, indigent.

"I thought so." Mandy stepped into the rift, which neatly sewed itself back up and dissappeared, leaving the once high and mighty goddess still sprawled on sticky mall floor, nursing soaked purple clothes, several bruises, and severe ego damage. Still, she was luckier than some who had crossed Mandy before.

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A/N: Heh...wasn't that fun? I don't really have a problem with Eris in general, but I'm pretty big on the theme of karma and irony, which really comes through here. This it a bit of a devience from the tone of the rest of the story, but hey...I had fun. Now I need to buckle down, and write actually write the next chapter this weekend, sandwiched in between writing SIXTEEN PAGESof rough draft for my research paper on mythology. It's fitting, though.

Demi


	5. Olympic games

A/N: More! It took a little longer than usual, but I think the chapter is longer than usual, so it all evens out. Look for notes at the end. I think I have a lot of justifing to do...

Jess: Thanks! I didn't want to go all sad-heavy-angst-romance-STUFF and the theme of the show is way too fun to forget. I'm not a rabid shipper of any romance couple in particular, and I won't diss you for liking something I don't. And I agree that strict adherance to the source material can get boring as all bloody Hades. So...uh...Thanks for the compliments, and for being so rambly and humorous...I liked that.

Finn Mac Cool: You caught me. I did lift that from "Bedazzled." I didn't think anyone would notice that...but think of it as an homage. Thanks for the compliments...I figured that I'd better have at least one chapter with Mandy being Mandyish...You know, manipulating people to her own ends. And I came up with the "ditch" joke all by myself. Thanks for noticing!

Biskuits: Eh...potato, patato. Thanks for the ego boost, though. And lookie! Here's more of my nonsense right below da fancy hi-tech border! (Right down there...down...down...See it? Good.)

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The Goddess of Love lounged on an elaborate bench in a white marble hall supported by intricate columns. She was the traditional picture of perfection and appeal: flowing golden hair, crystal blue eyes, a flawless complexion, certain other aspects best left to the imagination...

She was also bored out of her mind. Even with immortal patience, solitare was getting real old, real fast. She was about to set up yet _another_ losing hand when the sound of a dimensional tear startled her. She looked up just in time to see a figure step out of the rift and into her hall.

Whatever she might have expected to see, it certainly wasn't the blonde teenage girl who was suddenly standing among the traditional Greek pillars. Her pink dress and slight frame made her look childish at first glance, but the impression was negated by the sheer intensity of her stony expression and dark eyes. Perhaps she might be described as "pretty," if one were inclined to such things, but that didn't explain her appearance in goddess's hall. Brushing at the bangs escaping her headband, the stranger spoke first.

"You're Aphrodite?"

"Yes...Who are you, and how did you get _here_?" Aphrodite asked, entirely taken aback at the suddenappearance of a mortal.

"My name is Mandy," she offered in an off-hand manner, and if she didn't care to say more. "Eris sent me here.'

"Eris?" The name equated with immediate suspicion to the goddess, as it did to most beings with a modicrum of sense. "What does she want?"

"From you? Nothing. From me...Well, that's a different story. I convinced her to send me here."

"Oh, really...How did you manage to do that?" Aphrodite's tone was distinctly patronizing, the effect of the all-too-common superiority complex immortals tend to develop.

Mandy stiffened slightly at the remark, but played her hand with trademark dead-pan clarity to the best advantage she could garner.

"You might describe it as an exchange of favors. She takes me here and back, and I return her little toy." She held up the Apple to clarify her point.

"Is that-"

"Yes."

Aphrodite raised an eyebrow. Well that was...unexpected. She knew the power of the golden artifact perhaps a little too well, and the fact that this...kid...was holding it so casually proved this mortal was not one to be trifled with.

"So why do you want to see me?" she asked plainly, dropping the condecending tone she often adopted.

"I have a...problem in your area of expertise," Mandy said evasively.

"And...?"

"I need to stop being in love with someone."

"Stop loving someone?" the goddess repeated. That was...rather unusual. Mortals tended to clamor for companionship, not seek to nullify it. Then again, this girl who had bested the avatar of Chaos at her own game did not seem to fall under the catagory of what could be defined as "normal."

"Yes." Impatience was starting to creep into Mandy's tone. "Name your price, as long as it doesn't involve enslavement, soul-stealing, or smiling."

"It may be possible...But what are your circumstances? Who do you love?"

Mandy stated her secret plainly and quietly, going for as little effect as possible.

"I am in love with...the Grim Reaper."

ooo

Aphrodite gave the girl a sidelong glance. "Exactly what is your story, child?

"Got an hour or three?"

"All of eternity."

That's a point." She sighed before assuming the well-worn task of explaing her situation.

"It started about six years ago..."

ooo

Meanwhile, back in Endsville, Grim suddenly got the impression that something was off. So strong and inexplicable was the feeling that it entirely interrupted his concentration on the B-movie horror flick playing on television. He puzzled over it for a moment as an actress screamed and swooned. Then it hit him as randomly as it had come.

"Hey...Where's Mandy?" he asked Billy, who was sitting beside him on the couch, picking at a loose thread in the upholstry. "I haven't seen her all day."

"I dunno," Billy replied distractedly, the majority of his brain functions concentrated on his task. "School?"

"It's summer vacation, you ninny,"Grim informed him acidly, annoyed but not surprised by the sheer intesity of the boy's stupidity. Billy, for his part, just continued to pull at the thread.

"Maybe the shoe elves took her?" he supplied as the arm of the couch fell off. "Never trust elves..." His tone darkened uncharctoristically for a second, then instantly reverted to sunny ignorance.

Grim glared at the useless teenager for a moment, then shrugged to himself and put unresolved issue out of mind. On the TV screen, a lone tentacle moved slowly, menacingly, out of the shadows...

ooo

"...And that's about all there is to tell," she finished blandly.

The goddess had listened intently and without interruption, resting her chin in her hands as she leaned forward on the bench. She was hard-pressed to recall a more intriguing story from all the annals of misty-eyed nostalgia from the past.

Aphrodite remaind silent for a long moment, intense concentration evident on her face. Fianlly, she sighed regretfully and shook her head.

"Look, I'd love to help, but-"

"You can't." Mandy finished flatly.

"I'm sorry, but gods just aren't as powerful as we used to be. Look at Eris. Moonlighting among mortals, untying shoelaces and dropping dishes...and she's the avatar of one of the most fearsome elements in the mortal world. Do you really think love has any real value anymore? The bestI can do is make elementry school kids develop crushes on Valentine's Day. If it were just simple infatuation, I could give you a placebo zap and let your own mind do the rest, but what you have is the highest degree, the kind of emotion I couldn't even change in the days of power. There's really nothing I can do for you."

"I see," the teenager droned in response to the goddess' speech. As usual, her black gaze and dead tone gave no clue to the thoughts spinning like gears through her mind. "Will you just zap me home then?"

"Certainly." Aphrodite opened a rift in space/time with a deft gesture of her hand.

"I...truly am sorry, mortal," she repeated by way of parting. Mandy shrugged the apology off, stepping over to the glowing portal.

"I guess love really does conquer all," she mused dryly to the goddessas she felt the familiar rush and pull of dimensional travel, then added to the adage as she dissappered:

"Whether you want it to or not."

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A/N: For some reason, this was one of the hardest chapters to write. Things just wouldn't flow. Part of the problem was that I had written certain parts a few weeks ago, and then I tried to blend the whole thing together...with mixed results, I think. Every part has been rewritten at least three times (except for the little "meanwhile" break, which popped into my head almost fully formed) and the more I pick at it, the more issues I have with it. Plus, the stupid website cut me off twice while I was posting the freaking thing! I'm hoping thht the third times the charm...

I'm something of a mythology buff, which comes through here a bit. Anyone else who knows anything about Greek myths will notice that my portrayal of Aph is fairly off-base, but hey...It's my fic. I can do whatever I want! (Insert evil laughter here)

Sorry about the delay. Forces beyond my control culminated against me.

Demi


	6. Sparks

A/N: This chapter is shorter than the last one, and less "epic" in scale. It's not that is a _bad _chapter, nessicarily, but it only exists so the rest of the fic can exist. Sorry it took so long. The computer was bein' evil again, and then I started to read some stories which sucked in my attention. Please forgive me. I AM NOT WORTHY!

Biskuits: Thanks again for all the praise! I feel all warm an' fuzzy inside...like I just ate a teddy bear. I'm glad you liked my musings and comments on the gods. I always wondered why deities would have so much free time on their hands in the show, and Eris' comments in the "Happy Huggy Stuffy Bear" episode about having less power got me thinking more. And I just like mythology and thought it would be fun to write about some of the goddesses. And I have a question for you, too. Don't take this the wrong way, but where did you get your pen name? It sounds like something Gir would say on "Invader Zim." And, y'know, biscuits are good in general.

Jess: I, too, ramble insanely at the slightest provocation. For instance, my journal isn't exactly a record of stuff, but just pages and pages of metal insanty. And, hey, you made me laugh. Everybody wins! And I went through a phase two years ago where I would blame any and everything on elves/faeries/leprechans, which I don't think I ever truly got over. Also, I was thinking of the eppy with the warof the dwarves and elves. That's just gotta cause more mental scars on Billy's microscopic phyche, hense the dark tone. Anyways, I love Grim, too! He _is_ cool like dat. I have fun writing him. OH! Thanks for the heads-up on the dimesional doom prophesy! I knew there was a reason my quirky leigon of demonic vassals told my to get the underground bunker ready by 2011! The equinox is coming...

Zyalea: Thanks for reviewing! I write all the chapters in Quick Edit on the school computers because I don't have the Internet at home, so consequencely, no Spell Check (and the computer mashes words together, likethis). Thanks for pointing that out. And I always thought they were about 9, maybe 10, in the show, though there's no proof either way. You haven't watched the show in months? Poor you! I'd go stark raving nuts if I didn't get my fix for a week, much less a month, or several months! And all the confusing-ness is intentional. Cliffhangers are an excellent device in my evil scheme of sucking people in to my story...

Zoicytes-Shadow: Yes, I ship Grim/Mandy the most, but I also kind of like Grim/Eris and Mandy/Junior. I try to be open to all things. I'm glad you like my story. I try, y'know?

Finn Mac Cool: Some interesting questions you ask, but not ones I am liberty to answer. Not in the interest of exposing future plot points, but simply because there is no rhyme or reason to it. As I write it, Mandy doesn't really even care why such feelings took root; she only wants them to go away. That's somthing of a theme here, in a story entitled "Eradication." As for the "depth," I imaging anything she feels would be strong, as she is a rather intense person. I really appreciate your reviews. They're always thought-provoking. And twisting an adage was an on-the-spot decision that unintentionally summed up most of the story. Where love is normally construed as valuable or rare in a true form, it is stripped of all senimental value and seen as a flaw. However, that tone may lessen_ slightly_ in later chapters, though not before some serious triblation...But I digress.

alisha-marie: Glad you liked my story. That's an interesting idea you have. What sort of comical mishap would fuse two so opposite together? Would they switch personas back and forth, or would Milly have a single, combined personality? What would their parents say? And, perhaps most importantly, would there be any cookie dough involved whatsoever? I must know!

Did I overdo the resposes? I think they're longer than the chapter...Why didn't anyone notice the couch joke last chapter? That was my favorite joke...

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Aphrodite was thoughtful. The plight she had recently heard still weighed on her mind. At least it was better than the endless montage of soap opreas and online-dating-service sucess stories she was normally party to. Still, as she had said, she was basically at a loss. Her powers never were any good in reverse, anyway.

She frowned to herself. There had to be something else, something she just wasn't seeing there. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became, sure that there was an answer somewhere in the details of the girl's story.

Then it hit her. Simple yet profound, she saw an oppurtunity. All it took was a simple shift of perspective, like a lateral thinking puzzle, where the key lies in a simple detail buried in an overabundance of facts and and circumstances. Once the important part was located, the rest fell into place.

Of couse, in this case, the rest would fall to the mortal, and to some measure of chance, but the task didn't have to be as impossible as she thought.

To every event, there must be the first spark of a catalyst, and if there was ever a role a god was born to play, it was just that.

She wasn't entirely confident in her abilities. This was tricky business, and a spark would be all she could give. But maybe, just maybe, that was all that was needed. It would all depend on the timing, and on circumstances she had to research for herself. There was more than a decent chance it would fail, but even so, an attempt would hardly make things worse.

Summoning her powers, the Goddess of Love peered into the world of mortals for the first time in many years...

ooo

Days later...

ooo

Mandy paced her room relentlessly. Everything seemed to agitate her more than usual, from the clueless chirping of birds outside to the way the myriad of stuffed animals and dolls (at least the ones that weren't decapitated) seemed to bestaring at her.

She paused and rubbed her eyes. This was truly ridiculous. Here she was, giving herself a hernia over this stupid...thing. Avoiding everyone and everything, spending hours on end locked in her room or spacing out in front of the TV, watching daytime programming and Dinobonoids (that show refused to die...).

It never went away.

She couln't go on like this, strung out and fighting with herself. She was a train-wreck of nerves and it was only getting worse. Sooner or later, this would have to be confronted.

What went wrong? She was _supposed_ to be strong. She was _supposed_ to be in control. What was happening?

Here she was, in love (in love!) with someone. And no, not just anyone, but the Grim Reaper himself! The same person she'd teased and tormented for years, had used and controlled, the same one-fifth fire-and-brimstone, four-fifths frustrated and melodramatic guy she'd _enslaved_ when she was nine!

At some point, for some incomprihensible reason, she'd started to lose the hatred that balanced her life, and now she was dangerously off-center and willing to grasp at any straw as long as it would do something to _fix_ this.

But there _was_ nothing. The Goddess of Love had told her that herself.

For the seemingly thousandth time, she rehashed that conversation in her head as she continued to pace. She couldn't even remember it all; random pieces of her drawn out expositon, just a retelling of her life minus much of the emotion...Aphrodite shaking her head...bits of her consloation speech that managed remarkably well not to be at allconsoling...

_"I'm sorry...not as powerful as we used to be..."_

_"...any real value anymore?..."_

_"...highest degree...even in the days of power..."_

_"...infatuation...kids on Valentine's day develop crushes on each other..."_

She paused, a memory tugging at her.

That had happened, years ago. A crush...the object didn't so much matter as the solution she had found...

...A very simple solution, in fact...

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A/N: I think I should make this clear: Aph's revelation and actions did not cause Mandy's decision. That's her mind working entirely independantly, and Aph's actions, when they do appear, are subtle and understated. The only reason these partsappear in the same chapter is there's really not enough to let them stand alone, and I needed to keep within my plan to have exactly 13 chapters in this story. That's right, 13. I actually know where I'm going! I'd have to guesstimate I'm about 7/9 finished with this story (Algebra II repri-SENT!), and what little I have left is mainly turning notes and rough drafts into something with some semblance of polish.

Well, that's about it for now. See you soon, and...WATCH OUT FOR THAT MIME BEHIND YOU!

(Made you look...)

Demi


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